About
Dispensary of Hope is a charitable medication distributor based in Nashville, Tennessee, dedicated to transforming lives through the philanthropic donation and distribution of medicine. Through innovative stewardship of the pharmaceutical supply chain, it collects and distributes millions of dollars of pharmaceuticals annually to pharmacies and safety-net clinics, which dispense the medication to low-income, chronically ill patients. Dispensary of Hope is a subsidiary of Ascension.
Mission
Dispensary of Hope delivers critical medicine — free of cost — to the people who need it the most but cannot afford it. It provides pharmacies and safety-net clinics with reliable access to vital medication generously donated by pharmaceutical manufacturers, working toward a national solution to serve low-income, uninsured Americans.
What they do
- Receives donated medication from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors.
- Distributes that medication domestically to a national network of dispensing sites: outpatient pharmacies, charitable pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, and safety-net clinics — all not-for-profit organizations licensed to dispense medication directly to patients.
- Supports population health initiatives: the program is positioned as key to reducing avoidable hospital readmissions and emergency room use that often result from lack of access to affordable medication.
- Operates a site finder so patients and caregivers can locate participating dispensing sites.
Dispensary of Hope is not a pharmacy, does not own or operate pharmacies, and does not dispense medications directly to patients.
History
In 2003, Dr. Bruce Wolf, an allergist in Nashville, Tennessee, reviewed the use of brand-name sample medication in his own practice and discovered that over 30% of his sample medication went unused prior to expiration; he spent the next three years working with the local medical community to donate unused branded samples to free clinics and pharmacies. In 2007, inspired by his work, a team from Saint Thomas Health drafted a business model to aggregate medication from all over the country and distribute it to clinics and pharmacies serving the poor and uninsured throughout the United States. The early Physician Sample Donation Program collected and distributed tens of millions of dollars worth of branded sample pharmaceuticals, built a physician donor network that at one time included over 1,300 physician practices, and delivered a 20:1 return on investment to the community. Today, Dispensary of Hope accepts its inventory directly from industry, with manufacturers and distributors as its main suppliers.
Scale and impact
Through its manufacturer donors, Dispensary of Hope reports helping hundreds of thousands of patients throughout the United States every year. It is a member of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) and the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), and an accredited organization of the MedSurplus Alliance and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Its work is delivered through a nationwide collective effort of health systems, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and others dedicated to providing medication access to the most underserved communities.
Governance
Dispensary of Hope operates as a subsidiary of Ascension, headquartered at 2700 Brick Church Pike, Nashville, TN 37207. Its giving site is administered by the Saint Thomas Health Foundation, and the organization states that 100% of donations support the Dispensary of Hope.